locked up
by danita3
Summary: ryan is locked up in a storage room with his least favorite person in the world ! . what can change between the two if they found out they might never see tomorrow ? , its not a slash , i would write one if i knew how though xp , rated M just in case .
1. Chapter 1

Hey ppl ! whats up ? i just wanna clarify that i do not own CSI Miami , other wise , ryan might have gotten more attention . this is my first CSI fic ! yay me :D . plz feel free to criticize , i know im not that much of a good writer but im trying my best x3 . anyways , enjoy the story !

Locked up

Three months , three months after he was hired as a CSI in MDPD , he was still cast as the outsider . he could tell he was treated differently by everyone , he just wished he knew why . even horatio gave him the cold shoulder every now and then , it was always MR wolfe ! was there something wrong with his name ? .

" ah well , here goes nothing " , ryan mumbled to himself as he pushed the doors of the MDPD building open . he was greeted with a swoosh of cold air that he inhaled softly . It was kind of hard to catch a breathe outside with the blazing hot Miami weather . As he was entering the building , he bumped into a familiar face .

" hey ryan ! , man , im sorry i was kinda in a hurry . i haven't seen you much lately , i missed you ! well , the whole patrol department missed you actually . when are you planning on coming back man ? "

A smile slowly crept on ryan's face , at least his old buddies haven't forgotten about him , and they actually cared . " jake , yeah , long time no see . well , the reason you haven't been seeing me much is because all those top ranked CSIs have been dumping all of their work on me . you know , being the newbie , they thought some extra work would do me some good "

Jake furrowed and gave ryan a friendly pat on the shoulder . things did not seem good looking for the young CSI " ah well , good luck ry , and remember , patrol is always open in case you wanna come back , you're always welcomed " .

Ryan patted jake back then he watched him leave . just right there in that moment , a furious eric delko came walking up to him " wolfe ! you're here to work , not to chit chat with your old buddies . go grab your kit , we have a crime scene to process " .

That totally wiped that smile off of ryan's face . since he was in such a good mood , he thought he should fight back , he had seen and heard enough already . " oh , im sorry delko , i didn't know that i wasn't allowed to say hi to a good friend , while you were allowed to flirt with your future potential girl friend whenever you felt like it " .

Eric's blood was boiling . his fist clinched and his knuckles turning white . he wanted to punch that son a bitch so bad at the moment , how dare he talked to him like that ? .

" everything alright , gentlemen ? " . both ryan and and eric turned their heads to meet horatios's gaze . " yeah H , i was just telling ryan over here to grab his kit so we can take off to the crime scene ". Ryan just glared at eric and went to grab his kit from the locker room . at least they were allowing him to work on an actual crime scene today instead of being stuck in the lab most of the time .

it took them 30 minute to arrive to the crime scene . it was an old worn out place that looked like it was going to fall down any second now . it had a huge sign on top of it that said " riley's ..." . ryan couldn't quit e read the rest of the sign since the place was so old and most of the letters were erased due to the affect of the sun and the cruel weather changes . ryan scanned the place from a distance , from what he's seeing , he could tell that this was probably a farm . and what they were standing in front of was probably either a barn or a stable . they'll find out once they get inside .

he stepped out of the vehicle and came around alexx's side to see what she has for him and eric . " ryan , i haven't expected to see you here " alexx said , acknowledging his presence . " yeah , calliegh had a day off so horatio paired me up with eric . what have we got over here ? " . alexx held the dead body of a middle aged man that seems to be in his early forties . she removed the victim's shirt to reveal a stab wound . the wound had up to five dots next to each other , all marked up in the same line . so they definitely weren't multiple stab wounds . " well , i can tell that all it took to end this guy's life is one stab to the chest . by the looks of it , im guessing that he was stabbed by a compost fork . no signs of a struggle , he definitely hasn't seen it coming . somebody snuck up behind him " .

ryan took the shirt and placed in the evidence bag . minutes later , eric arrived to the scene . he glanced over at ryan with utter shock " how did you get here before i did ? we took off at the same time , and traffic was horrible ! " . ryan grabbed his kit and walked past eric " i know a few shortcuts . now while alexx fills you in , i'll be inside processing the scene " .

ryan stood inside the crime scene , glancing over for some evidence that maybe lying around somewhere . " turned out to be a barn after all " . he thought to himself , answering the previous argument that was going through his head earlier . as he walked to what he thought was a shoe print , he tripped over something in the way . ryan looked down at his feet , something was out of normal . he removed the hay from the place he was staring at to find a chain . he kept removing the rest of the hay until he saw a square shaped cover made of iron . he took a photo of it then he grabbed the chain and started pulling . it wouldn't budge . once he pulled harder it opened and caused ryan to fall on his butt . shacking the straws that got stuck to his clothes , he decided to take a look at this place . it was dark , humid , and it smelled so bad . ryan covered both his mouth and nose with his cloth , it did smell really bad down here .

" wolfe ! " . ryan heard his last name being called , he responded as he kept walking further into the secret storage room . " im down over here delko , bring a flashlight with you , its pretty dark in this place " . eric grumbled and headed back to the car to grab a flashlight . mean while , ryan was waiting for eric to find him , he couldn't see a damn thing . the light radiating from his cell phone wasn't enough . " there must be some sort of a light switch over here some where " , he thought to himself . as he started looking , he thought he heard something . was eric back so soon ? . " eric ? " , ryan shouted for his colleague , but there was no response .

" maybe i just imagined hearing something " , ryan told himself . seconds later , he felt someone hitting his head . ryan winced in pain but he turned over and swung a punch at his attacker , hitting nothing but thin air . he was met with a punch in his stomach that made him double on his knees , followed by heavy kicks in the ribs . he could've sworn he heard one or two of them crack . but ryan wasn't about to give up without a fight . he pulled the man's feet causing him to land right next to him . then he jumped over the guy and started landing some punches over his face . suddenly , ryan felt numb as something was lodged into his stomach , then once again in his left side . a warm sticky liquid started trickling out . it smelled familiar , he knew that smell , he was used to it , its was burned in his memory . he smelled blood ...

Sooooooooo ... what do you think ? should i continue ? review plz :D .


	2. Chapter 2

Locked up

Chapter 2

Eric was desperately searching for a flashlight inside his car. He knew he had one hidden in there somewhere, he just forgot where he had put that damn thing! "Finally! ", he said, taking the small object and shoving it inside his kit box.

Eric locked his vehicle and headed back to the crime scene to hand Ryan the flashlight. As he stepped inside the barn, he kept looking for his partner, but couldn't spot him anywhere. "Wolfe? ", he called out his name, but not a single reply was heard. Just then, Eric noticed the gap in the floor. He came closer and decided to head down inside the dark room. He turned his flashlight on, and caught the sight of Ryan sitting up against the wall.

"What are you doing? You just couldn't start processing the scene until I came? " . Ryan was preparing to speak when they both heard a noise coming from behind ,.Ryan wasn't surprised , if Eric hadn't came bashing on him he would've warned his colleague about the man hiding in the dark right behind his shadow . Actually, Ryan didn't think he had the energy to speak at all. He was certain that if Eric hadn't showed up when he did the man would've probably finished him off and didn't have to hide at all. For once in his life, he was thankful for Eric's presence.

Eric jumped slightly at the noise and was trying to figure out the situation. He kept flashing his light everywhere but he didn't know exactly what he was looking for. Right then, seconds later, he heard a bang sound. He looked up at the source of the sound, to find out that the room had been closed on them.

"SHIT! ", he yelled and tried to push the cover open but it was sealed. He took his cell phone out of his pocket; at least he can call for help. His hopes came down when he found out that there was no reception. He had no idea what to do. "Great! This is exactly what I need! Stuck in a stupid storage room, with Wolfe of all people "he mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for Ryan to hear him.

"See what you got us into Wolfe? You should've been watching the place once you heard something suspicious ". All this time Eric had been talking with his back facing Ryan. He hadn't looked at him square in the eye; he was too pissed off to confront the stupid little rookie. Ryan still hadn't said anything much to Eric's surprise. "What's the matter Wolfe? Cat ate your tongue? " . This time, Eric turned to face Ryan with a smirk on his face that immediately disappeared once Ryan's body hit the floor, making a soft thud sound. "Wolfe! ", he skidded next to Ryan, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him.

Ryan's body felt numb, his hand that was clutching his stomach slowly fell to reveal his blood stained shirt. "Wol...Ryan, your bleeding ", Eric noticed. That was probably why Ryan wasn't able to say anything. "Nice ...to see that you ... Remembered my ...name "Ryan responded with ragged breaths. Eric knelt down beside him to see the extent of his injury. He could tell that it was really bad. "Just hang in there Wolfe. We will find a way out of here, somehow ".

Ryan gasped for air, oxygen barely reaching his thirsty lungs." It's getting kind of hard to breathe in here Eric ". Eric knew Ryan was right. This place was small, humid, and they were consuming oxygen as they speak, things could not get any worse than that.

Eric ran his hand nervously through his hair. He was out of ideas for the moment, their only hope seemed to be that someone would eventually figure out they were missing and try to look for them. Eric just wished they would get here in time.

Mean while, he thought he would make himself useful and go check on Ryan, see if he needs any help. "Of course he does you idiot! Didn't you see for yourself how bad the situation is "Eric thought. He focused his attention back at Ryan and started pressing on the wound.

The least they could do right now was to stop the bleeding, that would buy them sometime. Ryan's eyes were gazing everywhere in an un-focused pattern. His vision was blurry and he could barely recognize his surroundings. "Eric, I'm so tired I..."

"No, Wolfe, you have to stay awake so I can tell you're alright" Eric said, interrupting Ryan. But Ryan didn't listen and he closed his eyes and fell asleep. that's when Eric panicked. He can still feel his partner breathing, but somehow being awake gave him a temporary since of security.

As Ryan was sleeping , he was tossing and turning a lot . his whole body was covered in sweat , and he was frowning , his breathing was accelerating . Eric placed Ryan's head in his lap and moments later he was covered is sweat too. Ryan's sweat. Eric put his hand on Ryan's forehead, he was burning up.

"Holy shit! He's running a fever. The wounds must be infected "Eric thought. He took off his shirt and started wiping the sweat from Ryan's body. He was lucky enough to find a bottle of water lying next to Ryan. He figured Ryan must've brought it with him since the heat was un-bearable. He ripped his shirt and poured some water into it . Then placed it on top of Ryan's forehead. Hoping it would reduce the fever a little bit. After all, that all he can do right now.

Sooooooooooo ! tell me what you think ! and if you have any ideas on how you think this should go . please don't hesitate to tell me ! i would love to hear your opinions :D . ppl , i know i have a looooooooong way ahead of me to improve my writing . so plz bear with me ! thanx my friend Andrew who showed me my mistakes , not that i did a very good job at correcting them , lol xD .


	3. Chapter 3

Locked up

Chapter 3

Eric was bored out of his mind. He wanted to process the place for any evidence since they have plenty of time, or at least that's what he thinks. but he knew that if he tried to move he would probably wake Ryan up or risk causing one of the wounds to bleed some more . He glanced at his watch; it read 5:30 pm. They've been out on the field since 10:00 am, which makes them missing for about seven hours and a half. Sure someone would've noticed by now. He just wasn't so sure Ryan would hold up much longer. Eric also was starting to feel a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen in the room, but he had to suck it up to keep an eye on Ryan.

Back at MDPD ...

Horatio was catching up on his paper work when he heard a knock on his door. He signalled for whoever was waiting outside to let themselves in. He wasn't surprised to see Calleigh, what surprised him though, was the worried expression written all over her face.

"H, we have a problem. I can't find Eric or Ryan anywhere! I looked all over the place for them. I guess they haven't returned from the crime scene yet. I called both of their cell phones. Either they're closed or out of reach. Something doesn't feel right Horatio ".

Horatio furrowed , he looked deep in thought .he was sure his two CSIs wouldn't need that much time to process the scene , unless something unusual had occurred , but he didn't want to think about that right now .

"they went to the crime scene at about ten, they should be here by now. Calleigh, I want you and miss boa vista to get back to that crime scene and re-investigate it. That's the only starting point we have at the moment. And keep me updated in case you found anything ".

Calleigh nodded in response and rushed back to the lab to get Natalia. This was going to be a long day.

Back at the storage room ...

Ryan slowly opened his eyes . he raised his hand to massage his throbbing head . "Where am I? ". He asked himself as he was taking in his surroundings. He was enveloped in darkness, but for some reason, this darkness made him feel safe.

"RYAN! ". That voice, it sounds familiar. It took him a while to figure out who this person was, and as soon as realization settled in , his heart sank to his stomach . "You better get your ass over here, you know what's going to happen if I found you, right? ".

Ryan found himself hiding in the closet. He knew what happened last time, he wouldn't want it to happen again. There was so much pain, hot, breath taking and agonizing pain .he slowly opened the closet with his small hands and he came face to face with his father.

Ryan's father, Robert Wolfe, was a tall muscular man. His hair was a dark shade of brown, much darker than Ryan's, and it was a complete mess at the moment, but he didn't seem to care about that. His eyes were cold , yet at the same time sharp and intense. Those exact same eyes were staring at the little figure that suddenly appeared in his vision.

"Smart decision, if you want what's best for you ", his father said and adjusted for Ryan to follow him until they finally stood in the middle of the living room. Their house wasn't that much of a big place. It was a one story house with three bedrooms, a big living room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. Along with the garage and the small garden they owned outside.

"Did you clean the house like i asked you to, Ryan? ".

Ryan had a lump in his throat. He was scared, he wanted to cry but he couldn't. If he did, he will not be met with something pleasant, so he just nodded in response. The house was too big for him to clean all by himself. His father had always asked for it to be spotless before he got back from work. Along with all the housekeeping duties, such as washing the dishes and doing the laundry. Worst part is, his father wants everything to be perfect. He had his friends over almost every day, and they always leave quite a mess behind for Ryan to pick up.

Since Ryan has been always busy with answering his father's demands, he wasn't doing such a good job at school. He hasn't been taking much care of himself either. His hair was long, and his bangs fell over his eyes. He was so thin that you could clearly see his bones popping out of his skin. Most of the clothes he wore were baggy, since he was too thin to find anything that fits perfectly.

"Ah, let's see, shall we? ", His father glanced all over the place, it was spotless. Ryan thought he was actually going to get away with it this time, his father always found something wrong in the place and punished him about it. That is, until he caught his father staring at something. Ryan turned to see what he was staring at and his heart skipped a beat. "Don't look at the frames; don't look at frames "Ryan's mind raced with that thought.

His father headed towards the frames and swept one of them with his finger. "would you take a look at that " his father said , wearing a sick smile on his face . " is this what I think it is , Ry ?" . Ryan froze and was trying to hold his tears at bay. "What is this?" his father asked him, sticking his finger in front of Ryan's face. Ryan couldn't get the words to come out of his mouth. "Answer me when I'm talking to you ! " , his father yelled at him , his blood boiling with anger .

"I...its...du...ddust "Ryan stuttered.

"say that again? More clearly this time so I can actually understand what you're saying " his father said , changing his mood , becoming suddenly calm . Truth to be told, calmness freaked Ryan much much more than anger.

"Its dust ". Ryan replied, more collected this time. "Ah, now that I can clearly understand what you are saying, mind telling me why it hasn't been cleaned?" Ryan nervously looked at the man standing in front of him. He gulped, knowing that whatever he said probably wasn't going to save him. But again, if he didn't say anything that would just make matters worse than they already are.

"i-i...I'm sorry , I d-didnt p-pay attention t-to it . I f-f-forgot to clean it " Ryan said. His father's expression was unreadable. Frankly, Ryan couldn't tell what this man was thinking at the moment, he couldn't endure physical pain, and he just came out of the hospital last week.

His father now was slowly approaching him. He was starting to get uncomfortably close, shaking his head with complete disgust and shame. he pulled something from his pants , and wrapped a small portion of it around his hand , leaving a the rest of it dangling loosely to the floor . "Ryan, Ryan , Ryan . You never learn, do you? " . Just as he said that, he swung his belt, delivering a painful blow into the small boy's chest. Right at that moment, Ryan's eyes fluttered open .

A/N : ok , im a little bit confused in some stuff , umm , what does OOC mean xD ? and why is a calliegh and ryan pairing called carwash -.- ? . oh and uh , i kinda need help , i need someone to beta my story , thank u very much :P .

P.S : don't forget to R&R


	4. Chapter 4

"**Locked up"**  
_Chapter 4_

**Eric's P.O.V.:**

Time couldn't get any much slower than this, and it sure didn't calm my nerves that we were both in a life threatening situation. Not to mention that Ryan could easily slip off my hands any minute now, and that thought honestly scared me to death. I can hear my heart pounding loudly in my ears as I'm taking deep, painful breathes; I need to calm down, this is no time to panic. It feels like the walls are closing on me, everything is spinning around, my muscles are tensed, and tears are welling up in the corner of my eyes; all because it's so hard to breath.  
Suddenly, I felt something moving in my lap, Ryan is tossing and turning. I thought that he might be trying to find a comfortable position. But that theory went out of the window as I heard him mumbling something, and his tossing became more violent. When a frown appeared on his face followed by a terrified expression, I leaned in closer to hear what he was saying, "I'm sorry," he repeated it a couple of times before mentioning something about forgetting to clean the frames. "Please, d-dont, hur-r-rt m-me," Ryan said before his eyes suddenly shot open.  
I swear he almost gave me a heart attack waking up so suddenly like that! Caught up in shock, I didn't notice Ryan trying to get as far away from me as he possibly could. When I finally got out of my daze, I realized he was across the small room. I stepped into his direction, I had to see if Ryan was okay, he shouldn't be moving. That is about when I heard him yell, "Stay away from me!" His hands were protectively covering his face, whole body shivering, and his teeth where chattering so loudly I thought they would turn into dust. "Ryan," I called his name softly while placing my hand over his shoulder. He knocked it off and looked up at me with eyes full of pain, "D-don't touch m-me!" he whispered. Why was he acting like this was beyond me.

I know I gave Ryan a hard time, but that doesn't explain the way he's acting, was I really that bad? "Ryan, I'm not going to hurt you," I said and once again tried to reach towards him. "That's not true! You always say that. You always say that you're not going to hurt me! You're a liar." Ryan's head shook and tears started rolling down his face. If this was a normal situation I wouldn't let this slide. I would have reminded him of how much of a wuss he was every single day. But something told me there was more into Ryan then I ever knew.

"Please, leave me alone, Dad." Ryan whispered, his words barely audible. For some reason, Ryan saw me as his father, which would explain a few things. If I was correct, Ryan is hallucinating, a side effect of his fever. I've never seen Ryan look so terrified in my life, he always held a straight, emotionless face. Truth to be told, he wasn't always like that; I remember when he first joined the lab, he was so excited and he had such a high spirit. I found that annoying for some reason, I couldn't stand how happy he was while I was still grieving about the death of my best friend. I honestly can't believe how much he changed, I don't think anyone would still be the same if they've been treated the way Ryan has. Come to think of it, we were horrible and I was the worst of all. Whatever secrets Ryan had been hiding from us, he had the right to. He didn't trust us enough to tell us anything, I wasn't surprised actually, and I don't have the right to be upset about it. Screw all of these thoughts that came rushing into my head! I have to focus now, I have to find a way to let Ryan know that I am not his father, "Ryan, you're hurt, let me hel-"

"I don't need your help! I don't need your fucking help! Just leave me here to die, that's what you have always wanted!" Ryan interrupted me by yelling on top of his lungs. The next thing I know, Ryan is crumbled on the floor and I barely catch him in time, all that yelling must have taken a lot out of him. I place his head on my lap again, grab his face in my hands and forced him to face me, "Ryan! Ryan, Look at me!" Ryan's eyes finally landed on my face, I have his attention and all I need for him to do now is to trust me, "Ryan, listen to me carefully. I am...not...your father!" Ryan stayed still for a couple of minutes, trying to register what I had just told him. His brows furrowed together as if he was trying to identify the person lying above his head.

"Eric?" Ryan nervously asked me. I nodded while releasing a long breath that I didn't realise I was holding, "Eric, w-what happened?" he asked again, and I realised that he was wincing in pain, his hands travelling to where the stab wounds were located. I slowly removed them away from his injuries, for some reason I thought they would make matters worse.

"You were processing the crime scene when some guy attacked you, he stabbed you in the back and side. I won't lie to you Ryan, it looks pretty bad, so try not to move so much okay?" Ryan closed his eyes and slowly nodded while taking a deep breath; I could hear a heaving sound coming from his chest. Then I remembered him telling me earlier that he had some trouble breathing. Ryan was wearing one of his nerdy vests, I don't know why he puts up with them in such an unbearably hot weather. I figured that if I took off his clothes, well at least the vest and the shirt he was wearing under it, he might have a better chance catching his breath, "I, uh, think that if you take off your shirt it will reduce the heat and, you'll feel a little less chocked...umm...seeing as you have a fever and all."

"No, leave it on. I'm feeling really cold." Ryan muttered softly, nearly whispering and then he turned his head to avoid my gaze.

"Ryan, please, I think it would be better for you. We should try to cool down your fever, and keeping your clothes on is not going to help you. I have some water left and I'll try my best to lower your body's temperature." Ryan just sighed, I don't think he has enough energy left to argue so he just signalled for me to do whatever it is that I'm trying to do. I slowly slid off his vest and unbuttoned his shirt, then kicked it to the side. I was met by the not too good looking stab wounds; a pink colour surrounding his raw skin, and it seemed itchy, there was also what seemed like dirt. How did it get there though; It's not possible; especially since Ryan's vest holds his shirt down, even if he got thrown into the ground during the fight. I took a deeper look and noticed that it was rust. Ryan must've been stabbed with a rusty knife, however it was sharp enough to cut through him and go deep.

The stab wounds weren't what surprised me though, because I expected them to be there. When I opened Ryan's shirt, I was met with a horrible sight, scars covered Ryan's chest. Some were very visible and others were a little faint, I could also see some old stitch marks that were somewhat big. I was shocked for a moment, and wondered if he had the same marks on his back. I accidentally bit my lip, and I remembered that I needed to clean Ryan's stab wounds. I grabbed my shirt that I took off earlier and added water to it. "This is going to sting a little." I said as I started to slowly clean Ryan's wounds. He winced a little bit in the beginning, but I guess he got used to it because he didn't even flinch.

"Umm, can you turn your back for me please? So I can clean the other wounds." Ryan shifted to turn on his side, his back now facing me. I froze, the scars on his back were way much worse, and I think I saw something craved into his skin 'Robert Wolfe.' My guess is that I already knew who this person was. "Are you done staring?" Ryan asked with a hollow voice. It was like a punch back to reality and I realized that I had been caught up in my own thoughts once again.

"I, uh, I'm sorry." I shook my head than I started cleaning the rest of Ryan's wounds, which I was starting to think that I used as an excuse for my curiosity. After I finished cleaning them, Ryan got back to his previous position. He was starting to look a lot paler, meaning he was losing blood fast. His breathing had became better, there was no more heaving but it was still shallow.

"Ryan?" I called but he didn't respond to me. My heart started beating so fast that I felt like it would break out of my rib cage. I placed my fingers over his neck to check his pulse, there was one but it was very weak, Ryan didn't have much time left. "Oh God, please, God let them find us in time." I whispered to myself running my hand through my hair nervously. I am not a very religious person, but at that moment, I needed something to hang on to, anything that could give me hope, because I was losing it; I knew that for a fact.

_** there you have it ppl ! chapter 4 ! special thanx for shadowwolfdagger for taking the time to beta my story ! your wonderful :D . don't forget to R&R , it pumps me up and gets me excited ;)**_


	5. Chapter 5

"**Locked Up"  
Chapter 5**

One hour ago

"Natalia!" Calleigh's voice echoed through the halls of the MDPD building, she was running so fast she was knocking down anyone who stood in her way. "Sorry." Calleigh apologized loudly towards everyone she clashed into. This was an emergency, and she didn't have time to pull them off the floor, pat them on the back and wipe the dust off of their clothes.

Natalia was in her usual spot in the DNA lab, running some tests related to her latest case. A 67 years old woman, who was found dead in her small apartment earlier this morning. The door was broken revealing the terrifying sight, and one of the neighbours has reported it as soon as they had found out. Natalia was informed by the woman's neighbours that she wasn't the world's nicest person, everybody hated her because of her bad temper and snobby attitude. When they entered her apartment, they found a painting knocked on the floor, and above it was an empty safe. So they ruled it as a robbery gone wrong, but they still weren't sure about that at the moment.

"There you are!" Natalia snapped her eyes away from the computer screen to face the source of the voice, only to be met with an anxious, worried looking Calleigh. "Drop whatever you're doing and follow me, I'll explain on the way." Calleigh stated as she dragged Natalia all the way through the parking lot and to her car.

"Whoa! Calleigh, you can't just drag me out of the lab like that! I was working on a case." Calleigh just sighed and opened the door for Natalia to hop in.

"Just, get in the car and you'll find out why, your case can wait. As far as I know, no one would miss that old self centred woman." Natalia just shrugged and made her way to the passenger seat next to Calleigh.

After taking off her lab coat, closing the door, and pulling on her seat belt, Natalia turned her head towards Calleigh demanding for an explanation. "Eric and Ryan haven't returned from their crime scene yet." Calleigh explained, like it was as simple as that.

"What? Weren't they out on the scene at like, 10:00 am? Well, it's 3:00 pm now, five hours is way more then enough to process a crime scene surely they aren't still there. Maybe they're somewhere else, have you checked on them?" Natalia asked clearly confused with the lack of details in Calleigh's rescue attempt.

"Don't you think I would've tried before causing that whole scene Natalia?"

Come to think of it, Calleigh has always been the most rational and responsible out of all of us, after Horatio that is. I don't think she would react this way unless it was serious. "Yeah, sorry." Natalia apologized after analysing that thought in her head. Minutes later, the engine roared to life and they took off to the crime scene. Given that traffic was less crowded, they made it to the crime scene in approximately twenty minutes.

"Shouldn't there be patrol officers securing the scene?" Natalia asked while unbuckling her seat belt and grabbing her kit that was lying on the car's carpet floor, Calleigh went to the back of the car to grab hers.

"You never know what might have happen." Calleigh replied, closing the car's trunk and locking up her hummer. Both of them took a look over at the place, trying to determine a head start for their investigation.  
"So, where should we go first?" Natalia asked, Calleigh headed towards the marks that indicated where the body was found, and Natalia followed right behind her. Since the farm wasn't occupied for a long time, no one took care of the grass and plants so it became dry land and sand covering most of the areas, with some dry yellow wheat scattered throughout.

"See these foot prints?" Calleigh said, pointing to a set of that lay in front of her, "At the end of the foot print there is more pressure than in the front, I'm thinking high heels and since it's a small shoe size it must've been Alexx."

"While the other ones," Natalia picked up where Calleigh stopped, following another set of foot prints inside the barn, "Are two different sizes, no wait, actually there are three. That's odd." Natalia took some pictures and tried to work out who the other footprint belonged to.

"It could've been one of the patrol officers as far as we know, but I'm sure these two belong to Ryan and Eric. Ryan isn't that much of a big guy, so the small shoe size is probably his. Eric, well, let's just say Eric has some of the biggest feet I have seen in my entire life." Calleigh said, seemingly amused by this fact. Eric always whined about how hard it was to find shoes that properly fit him without having to squeeze his toes. Natalia caught the amused look on Calleigh's face and noted to herself to pay attention to Eric's overly sized feet next time, just making sure Calleigh wasn't over reacting.

"Okay, they are leading us into the barn, ready to go in?" Calleigh stood up facing Natalia who was already half inside of the barn.

"Yeah, let's go."

**Meanwhile**

Eric was practically losing all hope, he did everything he could. Ryan was as cold as ice, deathly pale and the movement of his chest was getting harder to detect. If it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of his chest, Eric would've thought he was dead for sure. "It's over, Ryan isn't going to make It." his mind spoke, and as much as he tried to brush that thought away, it kept getting stronger with every shallow breath leaving Ryan's body.

"I'm sorry," Eric suddenly blurted, hoping that Ryan would at least get the chance to hear him apologize, "I'm so sorry. This was all my fault, please Ryan d-don't go. Give me the chance to make it up to you." Eric sniffed and held back his tears, but he doubted they would hold back any longer. "I was a jerk, huh; no actually, I am a jerk. I never gave you a chance, but you have to understand that, that I had just lost someone. I know it's not an excuse but, Speed was great. He was everything I ever needed in a friend, he always had my back. I guess I took it out on you because."

Eric stopped for a moment, tears rolling freely down his cheek. He tried to overcome the lump forming in his throat then took a deep breath and carried on with a shaken voice reflecting the pain that was burning his heart, "You remind me of what I lost. It's not every day that you meet people whom you can trust with your life Ryan. It's not every day that you meet someone that knows everything about you and knows how to fix things when they go wrong. When he died, he left this huge gap in my heart, and I refused to fill it. I kept thinking that no one could be as good of a friend to me as Speed was. I'm not going to lie to you Ryan, if you survive this, I promise I'll try my best to patch things up. I don't think we'll ever be best buds. there has just been too much damage already."

Just as Eric finished his last sentence, he thought he heard footsteps right above from them. He thought that all the heat must've been getting to him, but he could swear he heard someone speaking too. The sounds were muffled, and he couldn't make out what they were saying, but he was sure he it was Calleigh up there, and possibly Natalia. He wouldn't let their only chance of rescue just slip away. He gathered his strength and screamed on top of his lungs, "Somebody help!"  
There wasn't a response. Eric figured that screaming alone wouldn't do. He laid Ryan gently on the floor and climbed the steps and started banging on the metal surface, "Help! Calleigh! Natalia! Get us out of here! Please, hurry up!" he kept banging for a couple more minutes until he suddenly felt a rush of fresh air hitting his face, and the images of his two colleagues with concerned looks on their faces.

"Oh my god! Eric are you okay?" Calleigh asked, trying to lift him up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! It's Ryan! He is not okay! He needs help, call an ambulance immediately! I don't think he can wait any much longer!"

Natalia nodded and called for an ambulance without a moment of hesitation, while Calleigh helped Eric carry Ryan out of the small hell hole.

**One Minute Earlier**

"For some reason Cal, this place gives me the creeps." Natalia said, looking for any disturbance in the area. Calleigh was searching the east side of the barn, while Natalia took care of the west side. The hay covering every inch of the barn made it hard to spot any vital evidence.

"I can't find anything. What about you Nat? "

"Nope, nothing unusual in here," came Natalia's reply, "There's gotta be something. We just have to look harder."

"Yeah, I think it's best if we-"

_ "HELP!" _Calleigh turned to check on her team-mate after she suddenly stopped in the middle of her sentence, she must've found something or there must be some details that caught her attention. But the look scattered across Natalia's face was one of shock, and possibly even surprise.

"You okay Nat?" Natalia shook her head and started looking towards all sorts of directions. Her eyes frantically scanning the place.

"Did you hear that?" Natalia suddenly asked.

"Hear what?" Calleigh replied, somewhat puzzled by Natalia's actions

_ BANG! BANG! BANG! _Calleigh jumped, startled by the sound that was erupting from somewhere inside this old, dingy, and filthy barn. "Where's it coming from?" Calleigh asked, feeling a little bit scared seeing as it's just her and Natalia to defend them in this creepy place.

Natalia noticed something moving a couple of feet away in the ground. She was guessing that its probably where all that noise was coming from. The ground covered with hay was jerking up and down. As she came closer, she nervously started removing the hay, with Calleigh right next to her helping her out until they saw the metal chain. They nodded at each other and started pulling as hard as their bodies would allow them to until the metal plate finally flew open to reveal the face of their missing colleague.

In front of them stood Eric Delko, panting, and sweating all over. His shirt was off and his face was smudged all over with dirt. His hands were painted with, was that blood? Calleigh was worried to an extreme, he must've been through hell being locked up in there for hours, "Oh my god! Eric are you okay?" She extended her hand and started helping him get out of there, but could sensed there was something terribly wrong going on.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! It's Ryan! He is not okay! He needs help, call an ambulance immediately! I don't think he can wait any much longer!"

Calleigh's heart started banging wildly in her chest, she forgot all about Ryan. She hoped Eric was just messing around but it seems damn serious from the looks of it. Natalia stood there dumbfounded for a moment before her shaky hands nervously pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and dialled 911, "Cal, help me carry him out, I can't do it alone." Eric's voice shattered Calleigh from her daze. She nodded and followed him down to the storage room, "Be careful, he's badly injured. I'll carry him from the head, you carry him from the legs." Eric instructed, slowly lifting Ryan's limp body alongside with Calleigh.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ryan! Jesus Christ, ry , stay with us " Eric pleaded his friend , continuing to apply pressure to the wound . Calleigh was next to him, holding one of Ryan's hands while the other covered her mouth. Tears welling up in her emerald green eyes. Natalia was just pacing the room, running her hands through her hair, not caring if she messed it up.

"Where are those damn paramedics! " Eric's voice echoed. Calleigh and Natalia stayed silent, both still in shock and unable to speak. Eric was a mess. He was literally watching his friend holding on to dear life, and possibly even inhaling his last breath. He didn't want to be held responsible for Ryan's death , it was too much of a weight to live with .

"Oh my god Eric . He's not breathing!" Calleigh shouted. Eric froze, all color drained from his face. This can't be happening, this is not happening! Natalia was next to Ryan in an instant. She pushed a still frozen Eric out of the way so she can perform CPR on Ryan. "Come on Ryan, come on. Breathe "Natalia said between her sobs, pushing Ryan's chest trying desperately to revive him.

"Excuse me ma'am, we'll take over from here "someone suddenly said. Natalia hadn't noticed the paramedics arriving at the scene, she was so focused on her task that everything that surrounded her seemed to stop and it was just her and Ryan. Natalia slowly stepped away, handing her friend to the female paramedic who was preparing her equipment.

"He stopped breathing just a minute ago. He's lost a lot of blood and, and I think his wounds might be infected "Eric announced, snapping out of his daze. He decided to help as much as he can, and he thought this information would be useful.

The female paramedic inserted a breathing tube into Ryan's throat, trying to get some oxygen through his lungs. "Alright he's breathing again; let's get him on a gurney right now! His pulse is very weak! And we need a blood transfusion as soon as possible! "She shouted to her partner.

They both lifted Ryan slowly and carefully into a gurney. While they were carrying him Eric continued squeezing on the tube to help Ryan breath. "His vitals are dropping! "The female paramedic alarmed her partner. Soon they were both shouting some medical codes that Eric couldn't quite decipher, but from the looks of it, it sounded bad. One of paramedics injected Ryan with a syringe that was supposed to help induce his pressure that was dropping extremely fast.

Eric rode with them in the back of the ambulance as they sped through Miami's crowded streets. Natalia and Calleigh following right behind them in their hummer, sirens blaring to help clear out the way for the ambulance.

"How much time left till we get there?" Eric asked impatiently." I don't know "the female paramedic truthfully answered. She felt sorry for Eric because she highly doubted Ryan would make it to the hospital alive. Even if he did, it wasn't likely that he would survive surgery. His body was in a very weak state and he's lost a lot of blood, and judging by his appearance he has taken a brutal beating.

Eric saw the look that crossed the paramedic's face and his stomach churned. What was he supposed to do now? Should he have faith and trick himself to believe that Ryan was strong enough to survive this? Or listen to his rational side that said that the odds weren't looking too good for Ryan? Even the paramedic, who knows more about her job than he ever will, doubted that he would make it through.

"I know what you're thinking "he heard someone say. He looked up and found the female paramedic looking at him. "What?" Eric asked in confusion, looking through her piercing blue eyes and pale white skin.

"I said, I know what you're thinking. I saw that look on your face. I've seen it so many times before that it's burned in my memory. That look was, defeat"

Eric hung his head, staring shamelessly at the ground. He bit his lower lip and tried to keep his tears from falling. He would not cry! And certainly not in front of a girl! Plus, he has done enough crying already.

"You know, it doesn't matter what I think, he really needs you right now. He needs to feel someone's presence and support. It makes all the difference. I've seen some amazing things in my career , people literally coming back to life once they realize they've got something worth fighting for , someone who believes in them "

Eric's tears were falling freely now. He furiously wiped them with his arm and started thinking about what this lady just said. She knew he wasn't going to make it, then why was she trying to convince him otherwise?

"_I've seen some amazing things in my career , people literally coming back to life once they realize they've got something worth fighting for , someone who __believes __in them " _

Those words echoed through Eric's head, encouraging him to believe in Ryan. Encouraging him to let Ryan know that he wasn't alone, that he would never be alone, ever again. Eric wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, he let Ryan down many times in the past, but that won't happen again. He reached out and grabbed Ryan's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Ryan. I know things haven't been easy for you lately but, that's going to change. And, in order for things to change you have to pull through this, you just have to! you've always been so stubborn , I don't see how this situation is any different " Eric gently smiled . Ryan was the most stubborn kid he has ever met! And he's got guts, he'd give him that.

"I don't want to see you on Alex's table Ryan. It was hard enough with speed, and I don't want it happening to you" Eric whispered as a new fresh set of tears ran alongside his cheeks. Suddenly, Ryan's heart monitor started going dangerously low, and an obnoxious beeping sound surrounded the ambulance, the pitch sound kept getting higher, alerting everyone of the seriousness of the situation. Then a steady beep settled in the air. Eric squeezed his eyes shut, he tried to swallow the lump in his throat but it won't go away. _"He's flat lining!"_ there was that word he dreaded and never wanted to hear. _"We're losing him! " _. Everything was going around Eric in slow motion. He watched the paramedics preparing the paddles. He watched Ryan's body jerk up as the paddles made contact with his skin. That was one of the hardest things he ever had to watch.

"_Still no pulse, charge to 300! ". _Eric nervously sighed. His hands were shaking and his heart was beating 100,000 miles per second. Eric Delco was scared.

"_Time of death, 7:40 pm ". _Eric's heart sank. He couldn't move, talk or do anything at all! It was over, Ryan was gone. He felt sorrow, guilt, emptiness, and most of all, he felt loss. His mind kept wandering but for some reason he couldn't help but to think about a certain memory that happened not too long ago.

_Flashback:_

"_Do you think we would find anything in there?" Ryan asked, standing in front of a burned out house. It was mentioned in the news that this place exploded, killing middle aged man named "Steve Blanchet ". The crime scene investigators came as soon as they got the call._

"_I don't know, I think we should wait till patrol clears this place up. It doesn't look safe. This house looks like it could fall down any second and besides, the explosion possibly ruined our chances of getting evidence" came Eric's reply. _

"_Yeah well, I'm in no mood to wait. I've been working a triple and I want to get this done as soon as possible. I'm going in there ".Ryan grabbed his kit and started making his way towards the house. Suddenly, he felt Eric's hands on his shoulder, pulling him around._

"_Wolfe! are you crazy ?this place could be seriously dangerous ! " eric shouted. Ryan just shrugged and said that the faster they finish processing the scene , the faster he could get back home and have some real rest._

"_alright , don't say I didn't warn ya " . eric eventually gave up and let ryan have it his way. If this guy was foolish enough to risk his life , eric wasn't . "man , you're such a pain in the ass wolfe". Eric thought , he suddenly changed his mind and decided to join ryan inside the crime scene. As he approached the house , a part of it collapsed and eric was taken back . He stared at it in shock, wondering wehter if he should go in, or stay outside. Smoke surrounded the area, and Eric started coughing and trying to look for any sign of Ryan._

"_Wolfe?" he shouted and waited for Ryan to make an appearance. A couple of minutes passed and Ryan was still nowhere to be seen, Eric started panicking. "Dispatch, we have an officer down! We need help this instant. A house came crashing down and he's trapped inside, probably in a bad condition" Eric spoke through his phone. _

"_Help is on the way, a unit has been sent to your location" the receptionist replied closed phone and stared back at the house again, the smoke hasn't cleared up yet. Eric tried to focus but the smoke was really heavy but he thought he heard something in there. Soon enough the sound kept getting closer. He heard footsteps approaching his direction and he also heard someone coughing. Slowly a figure started appearing in front of him. _

"_Wolfe?" Eric questioned. Ryan nodded; he could clearly see Eric's face boiling from anger._

"_Are you stupid? I thought you died in there! "Eric yelled, and Ryan just had a sarcastic smile attached to his face._

"_You can't get rid of me that easily, Delco " _

_End of flashback …._

"Come on Ryan, you can do this ". Eric hopefully thought. His eyes still shut as he was trying to focus on his thought. "I believe in you "he gently whispered tangling both of his hands together, praying to god not to end a life so soon. "Come on rye "Eric encouraged for one more last time, if nothing happened then, Eric had to accept his fate. _"We got a pulse! Quick, hook him up to another IV and let them clear the path for us so we can take him straight to the E.R" _

"E.R?" Eric glanced through the open doors of the ambulance and saw that they actually did arrive to the hospital. Eric stepped beside the gurney and followed the nurses until he reached the doors of the E.R. "I'm sorry sir, this is as far as u can go "one of the nurses told Eric. He just nodded in respect then went to wait outside the E.R on one the waiting chairs

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter , sorry for the delay , this was written months ago I just didn't find someone to beta it so , bare with me mistakes here :P . leave a review , you know I love those 3


	7. Chapter 7

**Locked up**

**Chapter 7**

**(A/N: sorry for the long wait, I've been busy lately and wrote bits and pieces whenever I had the opportunity. Lame chapter, sorry again it's not worth the wait, but I really don't like the writing process, I just like coming up with the ideas! LOL, enjoy!)**

Eric paced impatiently outside in the waiting area, anxious to hear about any news concerning his fallen team mate. A couple of minutes after Eric arrived to the hospital with Ryan, Calleigh and Natalia rushed in alongside each other , both equally concerned and worried up to no end, prying for any updates about Ryan's condition. Eric was still shirtless and covered in blood, the sight made Calleigh shiver and she offered to drive to Eric's place to get him an extra patch of clothes, she also suggested that he'd go to the bathroom and get himself cleaned up since it was going to be a while till they found out whether if Ryan was going to be ok or not. However though, Eric refused to leave his spot. Calleigh took off to Eric's place anyways because she thought he might change his mind, and because she needed a little change from the scenery , guilt was eating away at her conscience and she needed a little time to get a grip on her emotions.

Meanwhile, Natalia found her way to one of the waiting room's plastic uncomfortable chairs. She sat down with her head hanging low, both of her hands clasped together and resting on her lap, her feet constantly tapping on the hospital's tile floor. Eric was still pacing back and forth, his movement made her all the more nervous and edgy. She respected Eric's need to keep his mind away from things and to keep himself busy , even by simply going around in circles , but after a decent amount of time has passed , Natalia couldn't take it anymore.

"Would you please sit down and get a hold on your self? You've been moving like this for over an hour! It's not going to change anything you know"

Eric stopped in his track, Natalia's words made him tense a little. He slowly turned his gaze towards her and for a moment there, Natalia thought he was going to yell at her or continue pacing in anger, but as she focused on him, she saw nothing but hurt in his eyes.

"I can't "came Eric's simple reply. Natalia rose from her chair and placed her hand on one of Eric's shoulders, gently squeezing it as a sign of support and comfort. Eric trembled, unconsciously letting his guard down and exposing his true feelings. "Eric, you need to get some rest. You've been in a difficult situation and I can't imagine how tired you must be". Eric shook his head violently, stepping away from Natalia and causing her hand to fall off his shoulder. "I just told you, I can't Natalia "

"Why not?" she asked, grabbing Eric's arm. "I just can't alright!" Eric yelled which in return stunned Natalia and froze her where she stood. Upon seeing the shocked expression grazing Natalia's face, Eric softened a little and tried giving her an apologetic look. "Nat, I'm sorry. I just can't allow myself to rest and get all comfy while Ryan is in there fighting for his life. I don't deserve to get some rest; I've been terrible to him. If anything, I should be the one inside on the operating table, not Ryan"

Natalia's facial expressions showed of her disapproval of Eric's words. She might've not been stuck in that storage room with them and she might have not known the exact details of the horrific ordeal that took place a couple of hours ago, but she knew that whatever happened was meant to happen. Whether it was Eric or Ryan, it was written for them long before they were born, and it wasn't fair to choose who should've taken the place of whom. Still, it didn't make things easier.

"Listen to me, your not helping anyone with your stubbornness, including Ryan. I know you feel guilty and responsible for what happened, but none of this was your fault. And I'm sure Ryan would agree with me on that" Eric looked up at Natalia; he didn't seem to be convinced. He was still determined to continue on punishing himself; he thought it might help him reduce the insane amount of guilt he was feeling. He also felt helpless. He wished there was anything he could do to help, to make things right, to make the situation better, to make it up for Ryan. But until then, he was going to keep on doing what he was doing, because it was the least he deserved.

"Eric, if Ryan makes it out of this, he's going to be very weak and he could use all the help he can get. What happened already took place and you couldn't do anything about it. If you really wanna make it up to Ryan you should be there for him when he wakes up, help him recover and help him get through. You can't do that if you were tired, so get some rest, get yourself cleaned up and prepare to be a servant for as long as it takes for Ry to be as good as a horse"

Natalia could see the smallest hint of a smile forming on Eric's face. He slowly nodded and approached Natalia, giving her a small hug. She patted him on his back and indicated for him to come and sit next to her while they waited for Calleigh to come back with Eric's clothes, and hopefully some coffee and food if they were lucky.

"Hey guys. Eric , I brought you some extra clothes in case you wanted to stay here for a couple of nights , I also talked to Horatio and he agreed to give you some time off , if you wanted. He's on his way to the hospital. Did you get checked by anyone?"

"I'm fine. I don't need to be checked. I was with the paramedics in the ambulance and they seemed to agree with me on that"

"Ok, fine, I was just making sure" Calleigh said, handing Eric a bag full of clothes and some toiletries she thought he might need.

"Oh! And I also got you some food. I know you must be starving. I hope Mexican is ok? "

Both Natalia and Eric nodded silently, each grabbing a container and some tissues and a couple of plastic forks and knives. The spicy aroma filled the small space they were occupying and made its way to their nostrils. The scent would've made anyone's mouth drool, but Eric was finding it hard to take pleasure in the delicious meal he was holding in his hands.

"You know, food wasn't meant to be stared at", Calleigh probed around Eric, glaring at him over his shoulder. He hated it when she did that! He knew she just wanted to take care of him and make sure that he's ok, but sometimes a man needs his space! None the less, he knew she wouldn't leave him alone until he gets something into his stomach. So he took a few bites to please Calleigh then he closed the container, saving it for when hospital food makes him sick to his stomach.

After finishing their meals, Eric's eyes started to grow heavy with exhaustion. He tried to fight it as much as he could but it redeemed useless. His head came to rest slowly on Calleigh's shoulder and then he drifted away to a world of quiet and peace. Soon after, Calleigh and Natalia followed his pace.

"Ehm" a doctor stood in front the trio huddled against he each other .he cleared his throat in hopes of gently catching the attention of at least one of the sleeping forms snoozing softly on the cheap , back wrenching chairs ."Ehm" he cleared his throat again, slightly louder this time. Finally, a handsome young man started to slowly stir, reacting to the sound by fluttering his eyes open and lifting his head to stare directly at the man in front of him.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you here for a MR Ryan Wolfe?" Eric rubbed his eyes and nodded in response.

"I'm Doctor Ted Springsteen. I was the one who operated on MR Wolfe"

"Eric Delko, I'm Ryan's colleague" Eric announced and shook the DR's hand, waiting for him to finally notify them about Ryan's condition after long tiring hours of worry and stress.

"Are there any of his family around? I can't reveal this information without talking to a family member or his next of kin"

Eric tried to think of someone Ryan might have mentioned, but it proved to be a hard task. Ryan was a very private guy, especially about his personal life. The only one he knew of from Ryan's family was Ryan's father, and it was only from a couple of hours ago due to the hallucinations that accompanied Ryan's high fever.

"Alright, who's listed as his emergency contact then? So that we might try to reach them in case you weren't able to"

Ted took out the reading glasses from his pocket, located on the upper left side of his coat. The DR looked like he could be in the beginning of his fifties, with salt and pepper strands of hair coloring the front of his head, while the rest of his hair remained a healthy black color. A few wrinkles around his eyes but nothing more than that, he actually seemed to be in a very good physical shape.

"Hmmm, there is only one person listed in here. Are you familiar with a man named Horatio Caine?"

Eric's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Horatio was his emergency contact? Why? And did Horatio even know about it?

"Yeah, he's my boss. He should be here by now but you can reveal Ryan's condition to us. He's our colleague and I was in the ambulance with him"

The DR sighed then took a moment to ponder the idea. He also stared deep into Eric's determined eyes. The young man was apparently worried for his friend and he seemed anxious to know how he was doing.

"Very well then. I will be very honest with you MR Delko. MR Wolfe sustained some serious injuries, and there were a lot of complications that made things quite difficult. The excessive blood loss, the infection that settled in, and not to mention his high fever and the poisonous substances that leaked into his blood stream from being stabbed with a rusty knife. The knife also hit one of his organs; we weren't able to recover his left kidney. Under these crucial circumstances, it is unlikely for anyone to survive "

"So what are you saying? he's gone ? "Eric interrupted the doctor. He was shocked when he heard Ryan's diagnoses. It was only rational for someone to not make it through all this.

"You didn't let me finish, MR Delko. As I was saying, it is unlikely for anyone to survive what you're friend has been through, but we were able to stabilize him. He is, however in a very critical condition and is kept in the ICU for the time being, and we're not sure when he's going to wake up. It's up to him now; we've done everything we could possibly do."

Eric took a huge sigh of relief, savoring the sweet taste of the joy that overwhelmed him upon knowing that Ryan made it through. He still wasn't completely out of the woods yet, but it was better than being dead! Tears glistened in his eyes, Ryan survived. Ryan would live to see another day and he would have a second chance to make things right, starting from now.

"Can we see him?" Eric asked. DR Springsteen gave them permission to visit Ryan, but only two at a time. He also gave them strict orders of not letting in anyone who might cause Ryan to be distressed or uncomfortable , because his condition wasn't good enough to handle that and might complicate things.

Calleigh and Natalia woke up soon enough to hear that they were allowed to see Ryan. All three CSI's accompanied a nurse who led them directly to Ryan's room, and to their surprise, they found an unpleasant guest.

"Erica Sykes here, keeping you in touch with the latest news as usual. I'm here outside of the hospital room of a CSI known as Ryan Wolfe, who has been admitted to mercy hospital later on this evening after being stabbed in the line of duty. Sources say that the scene wasn't well secured, and that is why CSI Wolfe is in ICU fighting for his life because of the negligence of law enforcement that…"

"That's enough!" Eric cut in the scene in front of the opportunist reporter who kept sticking her nose into things that weren't any of her business.

"Ryan is in a very critical condition and the last thing he needs is you nosing around and stressing him out! How did you even get in here? He's hanging on by a thread and the least amount of pressure could make matters worse! How could you do this to him? I thought you cared about him! "

Erica smirked; this guy had the guts to approach her about something like this. Especially since he was in no position to be accusing her of such thing when he obviously didn't care about Ryan's well being either.

"Oh you're such a hypocrite, acting like you're all worried and concerned. I've observed you guys long enough to know that you treat him like crap every chance you got. Where did this sudden love and compassion come from? At least I'm just doing my job instead of making his life miserable"

With that Erica motioned for her crew to follow her as she made her way to the hospital's exit. Calleigh immediately turned to Eric to see if the obnoxious woman had any effect on him. He looked upset, his back was hunched and his shoulders were slumped a bit, and he was gazing down at the hospital's white tile floor.

"Eric?"

The emotionally distraught man met her eyes and stated that it might be better if she and Natalia went in to see Ryan first. Normally she would've hung around to try and make him feel better, but she knew that he needed some time to collect himself and sort his feelings before coming to see Ryan.

"Come on, let's go" Natalia said as both she and Calleigh entered Ryan's room. It was exceptionally cold and the smell of sterilizers dominated the air. Everything was strikingly crisp and white; the room had an intense atmosphere with no joyful colors and frightening machines littering the right side of Ryan's bed.

Then there was Ryan…. He looked very small and fragile and young. It was hard to remember how young Ryan really was since he adapted the tough exterior the team forced him to acquire. He was very pale, his eyes were sunken and his body was frozen with no movements to indicate any sign of life. They could've easily mistaken him for a dead man.

"Oh Ryan" Natalia gasped. She grabbed his limp hand and held it between hers, tears welled in her eyes as she felt how cold his hand was, but at least he wasn't feeling any pain at the moment. Calleigh watched Natalia interact with Ryan. She felt like she didn't have the right to express such deep emotions with the youngest member of their team, for she hasn't been the nicest person around him. She waited for Natalia to finish her bonding moment with Ryan before she turned around and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and whispered how sorry she was about the way she treated him. After that the two women ushered themselves outside the room to where Eric was, nervously waiting for his turn to spend some time with his partner and hopefully make some amends.

Once Eric stepped inside, he was hit with the same flood of emotions that struck the young man's previous visitors. Ryan looked terrible; there was no other word to describe it. Eric wanted to bolt outside of the room, and it didn't help the least when Erica's words hammered inside his head and filled him with doubt and resentment towards himself

"_**Oh you're such a hypocrite, acting like you're all worried and concerned. I've observed you guys long enough to know that you treat him like crap every chance you got. Where did this sudden love and compassion come from? At least I'm just doing my job instead of making his life miserable" **_

Eric's thoughts were a jumbled mess! He was torn between respecting the other CSI's space and the fact that he didn't have the right to be here, or stick around and bear the consequences.

"_**No! Granted I've made some very bad decisions that speed would've been ashamed of, and maybe what Erica said was true, but I'm not going to turn my back on him now. I'll make sure he makes it through everything, even if he doesn't want me around" **_

After gaining enough courage, the Russian-Cuban found himself standing next to Ryan's bed. He found it hard to keep a steady composure, which was ridiculous considering Ryan wasn't even aware that he was right beside him.

"_**But the doctors said he could unconsciously hear what's being told to him or feel people's presence, that's why they don't want any visitors who would cause him emotional stress. Maybe I should talk to him, let him know I'm there for him"**_

Eric cleared his throat, and waited for a couple of minutes to gather his thoughts and calm his nerves.

"Hey man, you scared the living daylights out of me today, don't you dare do that again" Eric nervously chuckled.

"Anyways, I want you to know, I'm here for you whenever you need me. I understand though if you didn't want me anywhere near you, given the fact that I made things pretty hard on you instead of welcoming you aboard, but I'll tell you this"

Eric dragged one of the chairs in the room next to the bed then sat on it.

"I'm not leaving this room till you kick me out yourself". After that being said, Eric adjusted his position on the chair and prepared himself for what was rather going to be a very long night.

**(A/N: as usual, don't forget to R&R! it's the reason I haven't stopped this story already :p)**


End file.
